| Brand: | DOLICA | ||
| Average Rating |
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Dolica’s 61-inch carbon fiber Proline tripod is ideal for both indoor and outdoor photography. It’s perfect for events and sports activity, capturing that one amazing shot. Designed for use with digital SLR cameras. Key tripod features: professional carbon-fiber construction; able to support up to 17.6 pounds; Base thread: 3/8 inches; ballhead; quick release plate; bubble level and compass; 90-degree vertical platform; standard-wide angle, semi-wide angle, full-wide angle; quick release leg locks and non-slip rubber feet. Includes extra quick release plate. more info
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
A reasonable value *if* you can get it on sale
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
My first impression was this tripod was a bit heavier than I expected. It is lighter than my Manfroto 190 but not *that* lighter. On the plus side is it is a bit more compact. I was also disappointed with the ball head. It had way too many adjustment knobs. There are three and anything more than one is too much. Also, the mounting plate is non-standard (meaning not compatible with Manforto) and needs to be tightened down with yet another knob after it’s slid into place.
I bought this as a second tripod from Amazon for $100 as a lightning deal. For that I consider it a good value. At the regular price and if you are looking for your first tripod you may want to consider investing a bit more for the Manfrotto 190XB 3 Section Aluminum Tripod with Manfrotto 486RC2 Compact Ball Head.
Best Carbon Fiber Tripod for the Money!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Don’t look elsewhere! After months of research, I ended up buying this tripod and haven’t been disappointed. In my opinion, there’s no other carbon fiber tripod with so many features out there in the market for less than $150. The tripod comes with a bubble level, a full 360 degrees scale for panoramic shots, a hook for hanging a sandbag, retractable spikes within rubber footings, a compass, a sturdy ball head with multiple rubber encased metal knobs that allows one to rotate the camera easily for landscape and portrait shots, center column to raise mounted camera to about 6 feet high, two quick plates, and a nice sturdy bag with an inside zippered pocket that holds a hex tool. The tripod was able to solidly support my Canon 40D, Canon EF 2X II Extender, Canon EF 70-200 F/2.8L IS USM Zoom Lens, and Canon 580EX II Flash in any position without any sags. I believe my setup weighed about 9 pounds! The tripod is also light weight. I highly recommend this tripod over any of the other carbon fiber tripods out there! It is definitely the carbon fiber tripod with the most bang for the buck!
Best Value
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Priced dropped…ARGHHH!!!
Im using my gripped canon with 100-400 L IS lens…no issues.
Great value…got even better with a price drop.
Best priced CF tripod on the market. Don’t miss out…order now.
5 Stars For The Price, 4 Stars Without
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I use this tripod with a 5D and a variety of lenses in studio for still life and product photography.
I have little to complain about the leg section of the tripod, which consists of three sections of Carbon Fiber legs with sturdy clips, and a center column. As expected, it’s lightweight for the size of the tripod and weight rating. The center column goes up and down only, nothing fancy like tilting.
The leg angle locking tabs work well, though it helps to push the tabs down after making an adjustment, just to make sure it is firmly in place. The leg section clips are assembled using hex nuts and looks very user serviceable. They don’t have as smooth an action to them as I would have liked but they are very functional. The center column is locked down with a rotating collar, where the harder you turn the collar, the more securely is the center column locked in place. I find myself checking the locking collar every once in a while just to be sure that its tight enough.
When I made this purchase, I viewed the ball head as being essentially free. It’s a workable ball head and satisifies the minimum required of a ball head, which is that when everything is locked down, it holds the camera steadily without any play. However, the difference between a good ball head and a bad one is what happens when you start making things adjustable. The ball/socket assembly itself is fine, with two adjuster knobs available to give the desired amount of drag, and the motion is smooth, easy to control. However, the panning assembly on the lower part of the head is a real weakspot. As soon as it is loosened to allow panning, it allows quite a bit of play in the ball head, so that the camera is allowed to rock around. This makes it very frustrating to compose properly, therefore I pretty much keep the panning locked 100% of the time.
So the tripod has some room for improvement, which is expected. Without considering price, I am rather satisfied with this tripod because it does the fundamental task of being a sturdy, durable, and adjustable support for my camera. Factor in the price, and this is definitely worth 5 stars. If you are an amatuer/prosumer/hobbyist like me, I would argue that this is all the tripod you’ll ever need, and you should have no excuse to spend more.
Best bang for you tripod buck right now!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I just got back from a week of landscape photography in Arches and Zion National Parks and this tripod was fantastic. I did some canyoneering (climbing and rappelling) and I didn’t want to risk damaging my expensive Gitzo tripod. I was very impressed with this unit. It is relatively light, easy to set up (I had no problem with the legs), very stable, and the included bag was a nice touch. The head is the weak point of this unit, but I view it as a bonus at this price point. In reality, the head will get the job done for most people I suspect. Overall, I think this tripod is an amazing bargain and I highly recommend it.
Good but has a few issues
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I currently use a Slik U212 and U112 tripod. This tripod is about the weight of the 112 and almost as sturdy as the 212 which weighs twice as much. I would have rated this tripod at 5 for value were it not for a couple of quality issues. The thumb screw to lock the panning on the ball head was stuck allowing the thumb screw nut to unscrew without unlocking the panhead. Once I figured this out, I unscrewed the nut completely from the stud and put thread locking compound on the nut so that the screw would unscrew properly.
The other small problem is that one of the lower leg sections does not like to extend all the way without a strong pull to get the last half inch out. All off the rest of the sections extend smoothly to the maximum limit. Even with these issues it is a nice tripod… the good quality case and extra mounting plate are a nice bonus (the extra mounting plate and tools are in a zipper pocket on the inside of the case).
One final issue keeping this tripod at four instead of five is the hex screw on the base of the camera mounting plate. It will not be as easy to screw in tightly to the camera as the Slik mounting posts or knurled knobs used on other tripods. One could probably use a quarter in the slot but that is a little less convenient than other approaches.
The ball head has two adjustment screws; the smaller one for “drag” to adjust the ball to the weight of your setup so that it moves smoothly without flopping over. The larger one is to lock the ball securely in place once you have framed your shot. The function of the two ball head screws is not covered in the included manual. Overall it is a nice tripod and probably worth the $100 price.
Good value
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
It’s a good buy, the best tripod I’ve owned, but don’t expect miracles for the price. I did, and got a little disappointed, but I’m keeping it.
The good things you can read about in other reviews here. I’ll concentrate on the shortcomings to be aware of.
I think the ball head is the weakest point of the package. The tripod is sturdy, tight and light. What I expected pretty much. The ball head is pretty low quality.
* When ball is loosened and lowered into the groove, it doesn’t reach 90 deg. In order for it to reach it, the head would have to be disassembled and maybe 0.5 mm or slightly less machined/filed off of the bottom of the groove where the neck of the ball rests. That’s what I’m planning to do. It’s a shame though, because that could have easily been gotten right at the factory.
* Tightening the ball in position, causes a slight twist of the whole assembly (ball + plate with camera attached), so I you’re trying to level the camera for a shot, you have to account for this 1-2 degree shift in one direction once you tighten the ball.
* It’s not possible to adjust the friction on the ball. There is pretty much only locked and unlocked state and nothing in between. If you’re looking to be able have a friction controlled smooth motion on the ball, you’ll have to get another head.
* You have to be careful when extending the tripod column. There is not a limiter of any kind, and you may not notice and pull it up too far. Tightening the column clamp at this point may damage it, as the bottom of it doesn’t have anything to grip on. I did it once, heard a crunching noise as I tightened it, and I had real trouble getting it unstuck again. I could not loosen it, nor pull the column up or down. After some struggle with it I was able to loosen it again, but I already thought it was toast.
I’ve decided to keep it though, because I’m not a pro, and alternatives are much more expensive.
Great tripod for the price
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I just got this tripod for $99 (probably the cheapest of the ones made with carbon fiber). It is a very well made tripod. Feels light, sturdy, and solid. It supports my Nikon D200 with the battery pack firmly. It comes with a carrying case which makes it easier to carry it around. I had the same problem with the above user, that one of the knobs on the ballhead came loose from the screw itself without unscrewing the ballhead. I applied a few drops of super glue inside the knob and screw the knob back on the thread. I was able to use the knob again. However, I just switch the ballhead with the better one I already have. There is a small compass and a bubble level on the legs. The compass is not working, just like most of the cheap compass you buy from any store!
Today I looked at this tripod on Amazon again and it is $149 now!
Dolica Tripod
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
A really great Carbon Fiber Tripod for the money.I would guess if you were a real pro that one of the top known brands is what you would go for. This is my first pro tripod and I do love it. Comes with a bag and a couple of tools. Also comes with a good ball head so you don’t need to spend more money for one.One thing missing that should be included is a good manual on different uses. i guess they figure if you are buying something this good then you already know how to use it??
I would buy this again and would recommend this to any and all.
As far as getting it from Amazon, Amazon has the best price, great service and a very speedy delivery.
Should have spent the extra money…
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I have had this tripod for a little over a month now, and have used it maybe a dozen times. I had a good first impression of it, but it has degraded pretty quickly (and I’ve been as careful with it as with any other photographic equipment). Specifically, the ring used to lock the center column is too easily overtightened, to the point that I’ve needed pliers to collapse the center column after shooting. The ball head is poor quality; when framing a shot precisely you’ll notice the head has a tendency to drift significantly when trying to lock the position down.
The last straw came a couple weeks ago when one of the smallest telescoping leg sections broke off about two inches from the inner end (the tripod had not been dropped or otherwise received any blunt force; this is from normal use). This leg now cannot extend as far as the others, will not collapse fully, and will come all the way out of the middle leg section if extended too far.
For the low price, I did expect some compromises in quality, particularly with the ball head and other locking/release mechanisms. I did not expect the hardware to essentially fall apart within two months of normal use. I no longer trust this tripod to support my camera, and suppose my next purchase will be a real, trusted brand of tripod. In retrospect it would have been better to pay for a good tripod initially, rather than paying twice.
Very good vaule for the money
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Tripod works very well. It’s not a work horse quality but it’s a very nice tripod and definitely worth the $100 price. If you take good care of it it should last you a long time. It is a good fit for my Nikon D300. I will be using it for my wildlife photography.